September 09, 2013
By Ned Kehde
At times, when largemouth bass have exhibited a reluctance to be allured by traditional finesse presentations that mimic a variety of invertebrates, some Midwest finesse anglers have been known to wield small crankbaits. And Dan Quinn of Hudson, Wisconsin, and Field Promotions Coordinator for Rapala, says the Storm Lures' Arashi Silent Square 3 should appeal to these anglers.
Storm Lures' field testers found that it is an effective bait in waterways that are afflicted with significant angling predation, which is a phenomenon that often confounds a lot of tournament anglers. Quinn noted that Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, was wielding an Arashi Silent Square Bill to catch 37-7 pounds of bass and a six-pound lead at the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin on June 20-12, 2013.
Palaniuk says this new crankbait exhibits the alluring action of what he called "the old-school Wiggle Wart," which scores of anglers have coveted for decades. What's more, he has found that swims straight as an arrow when it is retrieved at a blazing pace, and when it ricochets violently off an object, such as boulder or a stump, it stays in what Palaniuk calls the strike zone rather than jumping or veering out of that zone. It accomplishes that feat by what Quinn calls a self-tuning-line-tie system, which keeps it constantly in tune and tracking straight.
Quinn says it dives three feet under the surface, and as it swims over and around shallow-water lairs it exhibits a provocative rolling action.
Its square bill is constructed out circuit-board material, which is thin but extremely durable. Its hook hangers are situated at a 90-degree angle, which reduces snagging and allows the bait to be endowed with larger than normal hooks. These hangers are fitted premium black-nickel VMC treble hooks.
It is 2 1/8-inches long and weighs a half of an ounce. It is available in 12 colors and retails for $8.99.
